by Marie Vonow (follow)

Gratitude (9)      Positive (7)      Awareness (6)      Present (5)      Moment (4)      Aliveness (1)     

Much has been written about living in the moment. Writer Kim McMillen said, ‘When I loved myself enough I quit rehashing the past and worrying about the future which keeps me in the present where aliveness lives.’ I think this sums up the point of living in the moment.

Yes, it's nice to relive happy memories. Sometimes one needs to think about a mistake in order to avoid repeating it. We need to do some planning for the future and there are times when one needs to be aware of what could go wrong so one can set up a plan B. However, most of the present moment is best spent living in the right now.

Things that can stop us being present in the moment
One can be preoccupied with many things and forget to truly live in the moment. Perhaps you are at home but your mind is still at work. Thinking about arguments with friends, family or neighbours can stop one enjoying the moment. Worrying about money and the bills can blot out awareness of the now. Aspiring to acquire bigger and brighter possessions can do likewise.

The present is where aliveness lives
Awareness of our surroundings, being positive and feeling gratitude are all part of aliveness.

Awareness
It is easy to not see, hear, smell, taste or feel enjoyable things around us. We may simply take them for granted or be on autopilot.

Has anyone ever said what a lovely day it is and you realise you hadn't noticed the sun is shining? It may only be when someone else points out the daffodils are starting to bloom or that there is a spectacular sunset that you become aware of lovely things in front of you.


Sometimes we don't savour our food. It might be really nice but our attention is elsewhere. I ask myself what is the point of having delicious food if I don't concentrate on the taste and texture of it.

We may not pay attention to music that is playing. (Sometimes this is a good thing if you are on hold waiting for someone to take your call. Some of that music irritates me.) However, I have been guilty of having headphones on and realising the music stopped some time ago and I didn't register that because I wasn't paying attention.

How often in a day does one actually take note of the softness of an item of clothing or a fluffy blanket? Hopefully one is aware of the warmth and softness of a pet's fur when one sits down and strokes him or her.

Being Positive
If one is positive, one doesn't spend too much time being concerned about the future and what may or may not happen. I am all in favour of a bit of planning but not stressing about the time ahead. I find it helps to ask myself, 'Will the world end if...' anytime I find myself worrying about something. It just helps me get the issue in perspective.

Things like making the effort to smile at people and being friendly may sound a bit cheesy but they do help one to be positive. For more tips on being positive, check out Fifteen Ways To Bring More Positive Energy Into Your Life. If nothing seems to help you feel more positive and you are depressed most/all of the time, have a talk to your doctor about it.

Feeling Gratitude
There are many 'little' things in daily life to feel gratitude for. These may really be 'big' things but it's easy to take the following for granted-



More thoughts about feeling gratitude can be found in Things I Feel Gratitude For

Yes, one needs to be conscious of the moment to feel truly alive and aliveness does live in the present. It may require some simplification of one's life to make this easier to achieve.

# Aliveness
# Awareness
# Gratitude
# Moment
# Positive
# Present

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